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Balir vs. Hitchens Debate

Here is a small clip from a debate between ex PM Tony Blair (a converted Catholic) and the renowned Atheist Christopher Hitchens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11852811

An interesting argument from a political view and a humanistic view compelled by their promenade e and Christopher's current battle with cancer.

Worth a look at the whole debate on YouTube.

Grill a Bishop!

On the 16th November the Bishop of Sherbourne has arranged to talk to Abbeyfield Post 16 students via a web link. The session is called Grill a Bishop and is an opportunity to ask those tricky questions you always wanted to ask but never had the chance. What do Christians think about embryo research? Designer Babies? Saviour siblings? Is it possible to believe in God in a scientific age? Does evil prove there is no God? How did the universe begin? Does evolution disprove God .....

 

The web chat will be particularly useful for students studying A levels in Philosophy and Ethics, Psychology, Biology and Physics but is open to anyone who has a good searching question to ask.

 

If you are an Abbeyfield student and would like to be involved, please email me a copy of the question you would like to ask. If you are free between 11 and 11.30 on Wednesday 16th November, then come to IT5 and log in and ask the question yourself. If you are in lessons, I will make sure the question is asked for you.

 

Please try and get involved as I think it is an excellent opportunity to Grill a Bishop!

 

Stem Cell Research Patents

On 18 October 2011, the European Court of Justice handed down a ruling in a case about German patents relating to isolated neural precursor cells, their production from embryonic stem cells, and their therapeutic use. The court’s judgment has received much discussion, a fair bit of it unfavourable. It raises important questions about bioethical principles, the regulation of biotechnology, and the role of the state in these controversial areas.


Follow the link below to read the rest of the article.
http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=3545

Richard Dawkins - Why I won't debate with William Lane Craig

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/20/richard-dawkins-william-lane-craig?cat=commentisfree&type=article

Science and Religion

It appears the Science and Religion debate is as active as ever. Two articles in the Guardian this week examine the issue from various  points of view. Read the articles at the links below and then consider some of the big questions:

• Can science and religion ever co-exist?
• Does evolution disprove religion once and for all?
• What can sociology and Psychology add to the debate?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/oct/20/science-religious?CMP=twt_fd
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/oct/19/evolutionary-theorists-religion?CMP=twt_fd

Can you make people be Good Samaritans?

On the 13th October a two tear old girl was run down in China by a hit and run driver. These things happen you might say but what happens next is hard to believe. Over the next minutes, 18 people walked past the small child and did not help; another van ran over the child's legs and did not stop. What kind of society do we live in when people do not stop to help an injured baby?
The story has led many people in China to question their morality. There had been occasions lately where people had helped those in distress and then been held accountable for their actions. Is this why no one helped? Should China now introduce a Good Samaritan law making it a legal requirement to help those in need?
What ever the outcome of this event, it is too late for the little girl. She was taken to hospital in a coma and has now died of her injuries.
Read the full story using the links below to the BBC and consider your own views. What would you have done in the situation? What was the morally right thing to do?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15398332?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15386700?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect

Can we sacrifice one person to save the life of another? Is the intention to kill or to save life?

Phillipa Foot writes an interesting chapter on this topic in her book Virtues, vices and other issues in Moral Philosophy. This can be found online or is available to buy from Amazon.

Peter Singer on Project Nim

Project Nim reminds us of our responsibility to the great apes

How the chimpanzee Nim Chimpsky was treated was wrong, and such invasive research should be consigned to history.

In this article for the New York Times review of books blog, Peter Singer discusses his views on using chimps in research.

Read the article in full at: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/27/project-nim-chimpsky

French Burka Ban

An interesting twist in the French burka ban was reported in the Telegraph this weekend. Two ladies were being taken to court for wearing their headcoverings but were refused admission to the court whilst wearing them. One of the ladies who attended the court refused to remove hers, and as police have no right to remove them, she was sent home and the trial could not go ahead!

Read the full story at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8581980/French-burka-ban-descends-into-farce.html

For all A Level Students

If you haven't visited rsrevision.com recently follow the link below to view all the new resources. These include new ethics revision cards and students essays to read and mark.

http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/contents/help.htm

Also very useful for ethics revision both at AS and A2 is philosophicalinvestigations. Check out the revision whizz throughs for a quick reminder of the topics.

http://philosophicalinvestigations.co.uk/

Year 11 Revision Sites

A reminder of a few good revision pages you can use ahead of next weeks exam:

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/peace/index.htm

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/carefortheplanet/index.htm

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/genetics/index.htm

Can Mill's Utilitarianism be saved?

Talking Philosophy offers a fresh look at one of the favourite ethical theories amongst Abbeyfield students - Utilitarianism. The linked article takes a good look at Mill's utilitarianism but concludes perhaps that Mill's utilitarianism is still tarred with the same brush as Bentham's and therefore falls to the same weaknesses. Again useful food for thought ahead of A level exams.

http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=2751

Is targeted killing ethical?

Further to our discussions today about the greater good, I urge Y13 A2 students to read this article from Talking Philosophy. It poses the question whether targeted killing of an individual is ethical in the light of Bin Laden's death. Y12 students can also link this discussion to the war topic and is it ever right to fight.
http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=2810&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CombinedTpmBloggingFeed+%28Combined+TPM+Blogging+Feed%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

'Suicide tourism' set to continue in Switzerland

Voters in Zurich, Switzerland, have rejected proposed bans on assisted suicide and "suicide tourism".

Some 85% of the 278,000 votes cast opposed the ban on assisted suicide and 78% opposed outlawing it for foreigners, Zurich authorities said.

About 200 people commit assisted suicide each year in Zurich, including many foreign visitors.

Read the full story via the Guardian website here or on the BBC News website here

Virtue Ethics Revision Video - o2 Learn

Virtue ethics revision video:

https://www.o2learn.co.uk/o2_video.php?vid=1141

Thinking about A Levels?

The Russell Group - a group of 20 of the top universities has published advice on A Level combinations for different degree courses. The good news is that Philosophy and Religious Studies are both considered "hard" subjects which means a highly respected qualification. The group suggests these subjects could be particularly useful for: Computing (!), Education, English, History, Philosophy, Politics, Religious Studies, Theology and History of Art. They are also considered useful as an essay based subject. Subjects such as Law and Music often require essay based subjects.

For further information see the Russell group website http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/School/

One god, many roads - evidence of multicultural Britain?

The Guardian - Soho Road in Birmingham is a place where convent, mosque, Rasta HQ, Jesus Army centre and Buddhist temple sit side by side. Is this the most religiously diverse road in Britain

Have a read of the article from The Guardian by clicking here

Posted by Mr Drake

http://twitter.com/djdhums

Forgiving for good

Forgiving for good

An interesting essay on whether it is always right to forgive and forget. Food for thought for Year 11 after our visit from Jonathan Brain last week.

Census - How religious is the UK?

A publicity drive has started for the census, now just five weeks away, but the survey is being criticised for its question on religion. So is it even possible to accurately measure how religious the UK is?

Follow the story on the BBC at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12507319

GCSE Y10 Revision Pages

Essential revision sites for Y10 students on rsrevision.com. The materials are prepared for another exam board but can be used selectively as much of the content is the same.
http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/life/index.htm

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/prejudice/index.htm

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/relationships/index.htm

War, peace and human rights

Essential revision materials from rsrevision.com for Year 11 students! The materials are pepared for another exam board but contain many of the elements studied in the edexcel Y11 course.

http://www.rsrevision.com/GCSE/christian_perspectives/peace/index.htm

How to ... answer an ethics question

Handy hints from rsrevision.com on how to answer an A level ethics question using an interactive diagram.

http://www.rsrevision.com/diagrams/a_level_exams.html

A Level Suggested websites

Begining to revise? Looking for sites with up to date stories relating to philosophy and ethics? Looking for some different points of view? Try some of the sites below to help broaden your understanding of philosophy and ethics.

Christian Medical Fellowship http://www.cmf.org.uk/publications/
Cardiff Centre for Ethics and Law Society  http://www.ccels.cf.ac.uk/news/index.html
PBS in America  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/
News Now (Searches for key words in current news stories)  http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/?search=euthanasia&searchheadlines=1
BBC Ethics  http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/

Year 10 Revision Video

Julian Baggini: Philosophy matters - Bristol, 21 March

Julian Baggini: Philosophy matters - Bristol, 21 March: "I;m chairing this discussion at the Wills Memorial Building, 18:00-19:30 Why study philosophy? Is philosophy valuable to those in society ..."

Julian Baggini: Organ donation - Bristol, 17 March

Julian Baggini: Organ donation - Bristol, 17 March: "I'm chairing a public event will bring together people involved in organ donation and transplantation to discuss the current situation in th..."

Is morality relative? Depends on your personality

Philosophers who think everyday morality is objective should examine the evidence, says Joshua Knobe

Imagine two people discussing a question in mathematics. One of them says “7,497 is a prime number,” while the other says, “7,497 is not a prime number.” In a case like this one, we would probably conclude that there can only be a single right answer. We might have a lot of respect for both participants in the conversation, we might agree that they are both very reasonable and conscientious, but all the same, one of them has got to be wrong. The question under discussion here, we might say, is perfectly objective.

Read the rest of the article at the TPM website  http://www.philosophypress.co.uk/?p=1795

Is South Dakota set to legalise the murder of abortion providers?

In a shocking story on its website, http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/south-dakota-hb-1171-legalize-killing-abortion-providers Mother Jones magazine reports that the US state of South Dakota, where abortion is already subject to some of the most severe restrictions in America, could be set to legalise the murder of people involved in the provision of abortion services.


A bill is under consideration by South Dakota's legislature, sponsored by the Republican representative Phil Jensen, a well-known opponent of abortion rights, which would amend existing legislation to include killing someone "while resisting an attempt to harm" an unborn child within the definition of "justifiable homicide", in cases where the unborn child is your own, or that of a spouse, partner, parent or child.

As Mother Jones reports, Jensen claims that the legislation is designed to bring "consistency" to the state's justifiable homicide laws (it is common for US states to consider the murder of a pregnant woman to be two crimes), but advocates of abortion rights say that it amounts to a legalisation of the killing of abortion doctors, with Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation telling the magazine, "The bill is an invitation to murder abortion providers".

I recommend reading the full piece over at Mother Jones – in addition to bringing you up to speed on the justifiable homicide proposal, it provides an insight into the difficulties faced by women seeking terminations in US states with restrictive abortion regulations. Choice is a fragile right and, as South Dakota shows, it is under constant threat from the anti-abortion lobby.

Article by Paul Sims and posted on the New Humanist Magazine blog

The human race needs elephant mothers, not tiger mothers

 An interesting article by Preference Utilitarian Peter Singer about parenting.


Peter Singer guardian.co.uk, Sunday 13 February 2011
Many years ago, my wife and I were driving somewhere with our three young daughters in the back, when one of them suddenly asked: "Would you rather that we were clever or that we were happy?"
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua Buy it from the Guardian bookshop Search the Guardian bookshop

I was reminded of that moment last month when I read Amy Chua's Wall Street Journal article, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," which sparked more than 4,000 comments on wsj.com and over 100,000 comments on Facebook. The article was a promotional piece for Chua's book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which has become an instant bestseller.

Chua's thesis is that, when compared with Americans, Chinese children tend to be successful because they have "tiger mothers," whereas western mothers are pussycats, or worse. Chua's daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to watch television, play computer games, sleep over at a friend's home, or be in a school play. They had to spend hours every day practising the piano or violin. They were expected to be the top student in every subject except gym and drama.

Chinese mothers, according to Chua, believe that children, once they get past the toddler stage, need to be told in no uncertain terms when they have not met the high standards their parents expect of them. (Chua says that she knows Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish, and Ghanaian mothers who are "Chinese" in their approach, as well as some ethnic-Chinese mothers who are not.) Their egos should be strong enough to take it.

But Chua, a professor at Yale law school (as is her husband), lives in a culture in which a child's self-esteem is considered so fragile that children's sports teams give "Most Valuable Player" awards to every member. So it is not surprising that many Americans react with horror to her style of parenting.

One problem in assessing the tiger-mothering approach is that we can't separate its impact from that of the genes that the parents pass on to their children. If you want your children to be at the top of their class, it helps if you and your partner have the brains to become professors at elite universities. No matter how hard a tiger mom pushes, not every student can finish first (unless, of course, we make everyone "top of the class").

Tiger parenting aims at getting children to make the most of what abilities they have, and so seems to lean towards the "clever" side of the "clever or happy" choice. That's also the view of Betty Ming Liu, who blogged in response to Chua's article: "Parents like Amy Chua are the reason why Asian-Americans like me are in therapy."

Stanley Sue, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, has studied suicide, which is particularly common among Asian-American women (in other ethnic groups, more males commit suicide than females). He believes that family pressure is a significant factor.

Chua would reply that reaching a high level of achievement brings great satisfaction, and that the only way to do it is through hard work. Perhaps, but can't children be encouraged to do things because they are intrinsically worthwhile, rather than because of fear of parental disapproval?

I agree with Chua to this extent: a reluctance to tell a child what to do can go too far. One of my daughters, who now has children of her own, tells me amazing stories about her friends' parenting styles. One of them let her daughter drop out of three different kindergartens, because she didn't want to go to them. Another couple believes in "self-directed learning" to such an extent that one evening they went to bed at 11pm, leaving their five-year-old watching her ninth straight hour of Barbie videos.

Tiger-mothering might seem to be a useful counterbalance to such permissiveness, but both extremes leave something out. Chua's focus is unrelentingly on solitary activities in the home, with no encouragement of group activities, or of concern for others, either in school or in the wider community. Thus, she appears to view school plays as a waste of time that could be better spent studying or practicing music.

But to take part in a school play is to contribute to a community good. If talented children stay away, the quality of the production will suffer, to the detriment of the others who take part (and of the audience that will watch it). And all children whose parents bar them from such activities miss the opportunity to develop social skills that are just as important and rewarding – and just as demanding to master – as those that monopolise Chua's attention.

We should aim for our children to be good people, and to live ethical lives that manifest concern for others as well as for themselves. This approach to childrearing is not unrelated to happiness: there is abundant evidence that those who are generous and kind are more content with their lives than those who are not. But it is also an important goal in its own right.

Tigers lead solitary lives, except for mothers with their cubs. We, by contrast, are social animals. So are elephants, and elephant mothers do not focus only on the wellbeing of their own offspring. Together, they protect and take care of all the young in their herd, running a kind of daycare centre.

If we all think only of our own interests, we are headed for collective disaster – just look at what we are doing to our planet's climate. When it comes to raising our children, we need fewer tigers and more elephants.

Is there such a thing as life after death?

Is there life after death? Theologians can debate all they want, but radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long says if you look at the scientific evidence, the answer is unequivocally yes.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1955636,00.html#ixzz1E4OeboZJ

In defence of the Nanny state?

Follow the link below to an interesting BBC article about freedom and morality. The article poses the question whether we might benefit from the paternalistic nudge of the state. The article goes on to discuss Libertarianism looking at both Mill and religion along the way. Essential reading for A2 ethics students!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12360045

Ethics Conference Feb 2011

Last week I had the opportunity to attend one of Peter Vardy's A level conferences in Oxford. Set in the town hall it was fantastic to be surrounded by so many students all keen to expand their knowledge of ethics. The day began with a fast paced lecture on Kantian ethics which my students found took them beyond what they already knew yet simplified their existing knowledge into easy to use bytes. Next came a fascinating look at Utilitarianism looking in detail at how Mill's upbringing affected his attitude to Bentham's utilitarianism and inspired him to look beyond pure quantity of pleasure. It looked at the influence of emotion on his work - especially the poetry of Coleridge and his love for a woman.
After a short break Peter Vardy continued with a look at diversity in modern ethics. He suggested a whole new way of viewing the spectrum of ethics with all the traditionally studied ethical theories on one side and post modernism on the other. His rational was that all the traditional theories have an aim or look for a common humanity i.e. love, reason or perhaps happiness. He felt that post modernism offered a real alternative to these theories as it was truly relative - moral decisions were made without a need for an aim or reference to a common nature. Everything was led by circumstance.
The final lecture of the morning was led by Bob Bowie who looked at the implication of human rights legislation for medical ethics. An interesting discussion in times of economic hardship and the need for cuts.
The day was finished off in the afternoon by a debate led by Peter Vardy "This house believes that assisted suicide should be legalised in the UK". He introduced interviews from Mary Warnock and David Alton which can be viewed at http://www.candleconferences.kk5.org/ethics/4537101747 The debate gave the students a chance to air their views on the issue and many students took part speaking eloquently on the topic. The vote at the end was a surprising even split between those in favour and those against.
Overall the day was excellent and really helped move student understanding of the ethical theories forward. this will be an important stepping stone as we move onto practical ethics over the next term.

Libertarianism

The Philosopher's football match 2010

A podcast exploring modern philosophers through replaying the famous football match from Monty Python!

http://www.philosophypress.co.uk/?p=1358

Should companies pay to pollute?

Should companies pay to pollute? Great thinkers like Aristotle have mulled such questions for centuries, says philosopher Mark Vernon in the final part of the BBC series on modern ethical dilemmas. Again Utilitarian, Kantian and Virtue ethics are discussed to try and shed light on this modern problem.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12298424

Should victims have a say in sentencing criminals?

A2 Ethics students have been considering predestination and free-will and the effect this might have on whether a person is blameworthy and should be punished. this topic was picked up by the BBC's series of articles by Mark Vernon when he discusses victims of crime and whether they should have a say in how criminals are punished.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12277696

What would Kant say to social climbers?

Getting on in the world is a priority for many. But is social mobility good? As the BBC researches the class system, philosopher Mark Vernon says thinkers like Kant have mulled over such questions for centuries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12279627

More from the BBC's series of articles from Mark Vernon

Bankers bonuses

More from the BBC's series on Aristotle and modern ethical dilemmas. In this article Mark Vernon looks at the approach theories such as Utilitarianism, Kant and Virtue ethics might take to banker's bonuses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12250405

Justice on the BBC

Available on BBC iplayer and BBC 4 are a series of programmes where Professor Michael Sandel presents a series of lectures from his Harvard undergraduate course in Political Philosophy. "How to measure pleasure" compares the merits of Shakespeare and The Simpsons to explore John Stuart Mill's theory. This programme will be shown on Feb 9th and 10th. "The case for cannibalism" asks the question can cannibalism be justified if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number? also available on iplayer is "The moral side of murder" which explores the morality of murder.

These programmes are essential watching for AS and A2 Ethics students and link directly to many strands of the syllabus.

When ethical view collide in the modern day.

The BBC News has created an interesting article looking at what happens when different peoples ethical views collide, and who's takes precedence.

It specifically looks at the example of a Christian couple refusing a Gay couple in a civil partnership a room at their B&B. This was ruled unlawful last week by Bristol County Court.

See how it is compared to different ethical theories including Bentham's Act Utilitarianism, Kantinian Ethics and even Mr Aristotle himself!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12275094